GEMMA had to overcome tough times as a teenager to reach the peak of her football powers but says football was her escape from the bullying hell and helped her gain self-confidence.

WITH an incredible 162 caps to her name, Scotland women’s goalkeeper Gemma Fay is a legend at the age of just 32.

As captain of both the inter-national side and her club Celtic, team-mates look to her for leadership on and off the pitch.

But for Perth-born Gemma, reaching the pinnacle of the women’s game hasn’t been easy.

As a teenager she had to overcome bullying that left her with no self-confidence and afraid to leave her own home.

Now she’s involved in a project that aims to help today’s school pupils fulfil their potential and she’ll use her own experiences to convince youngsters that anything is possible.

“When I was in first or second year, I became the target of some bullies,” Gemma said.

“For me it was outwith school, so it really affected me and it got so bad that they’d be waiting for me at the gates when I got out of school and followed me home.

“At the weekend, when I wanted to go out and meet friends, they’d be waiting outside my house, following me and threatening me.

“It was really horrible and lasted about a year. I was virtually housebound and in tears night after night, not knowing how to deal with it.

“I became very self-conscious and my friends didn’t really understand what I was going through, so I was very lonely.

“Growing up can be difficult enough in itself but when you don’t have any confidence and you know that when you go outside someone’s going to be saying nasty things about you and threatening you, there’s just no relief from it.”

Gemma, who now lives in Glasgow, found that playing football was the only way to be free of her tormentors. “When I went to play football it was a way to escape it and it really helped me get through, helping me find a new group of friends to gain confidence and the determination not to let people get me down,” she said.

“When you go to a sports club and work hard, or when you work hard at school, you find there are people there who care about you and are willing to help you achieve your goals.

“That’s helped me a lot through life. I was 14 when I first got involved in the national team but I didn’t get in and was told what I had to do better. So I set my mind to doing that and I got in the age group team the following year and I haven’t been out since.”

But that doesn’t mean Gemma immediately changed from a shy recluse into a confident international footballer.

She said: “Initially, coming into the squad, I wasn’t confident at all and growing up in the national team set-up was a bit of a strange experience, as the game wasn’t as mature as it is now.”

“I made my debut when I was 16 and at the time I was the best in the country, so as an athlete I was growing up in the spotlight and making mistakes in competition.

“So it wasn’t like all my problems were solved. I had to figure out a way to learn from my mistakes and not let myself get down. Making mistakes and failing at stuff is natural – it’s all about how you react to it. Once I understood that, I was a lot happier and more confident and could go on to be the athlete I wanted to be.”

Gemma is now the most experienced member of Scotland’s squad and has taken over from Julie Fleeting as captain.

And with a 100 per cent record in the qualifiers for next year’s Women’s World Cup in Canada, fixtures next month at home to fellow front-runners Sweden and then away to Northern Ireland could put them closer to the finals.

“There are a lot of tough games,” Gemma said. “We’re fantastic in transition and we’ve got a lot of fast and clever players, so teams tend to sit in and it’s hard to break them down.

“The Sweden game is vital but, ultimately, if we get a result there we need to get a result against Northern Ireland away.

“But I know that I’ve got a good group of players around me and we’re all looking to achieve the same goal.”

With the chance of becoming the first person to lead a Scotland team to a World Cup since 1998, and the first woman ever to do so, Gemma isn’t looking much beyond next summer.

But she does have her eye on one alternative career when she eventually hangs up her gloves.

Last year she made her acting debut, playing a women’s football referee in the Sky Living drama Rubenesque, alongside Daniela Nardini and Frema Agyeman.

“It wasn’t something I’d ever thought of doing,” Gemma said.

“My mum had been an actress but she stopped a long time ago.

“So it was just opportunistic.

“A casting call came out and the Scottish Football Association forwarded it, so I thought I’d give it a go and I got the part. They must have seen a bit of the character Shona in me but it was a crazy few months, as I had absolutely no idea what I was going into.

“By the end of it I was under no illusions that it was a tough job and I take my hat off to people who do it day in day out.”

And she said her big-match experience helped her deal with nerves.

“I had that conversation with the director,” she added.

“When you go out to play a game, you’re out to put a ­performance on, be in a certain zone and deliver something and that was the kind of thing I tried to take across when I was doing the show.

“I focused on exactly what I was supposed to do and I listened to the directions, in the way I listen to a coach.

“As tiring and hard as it was, it was so much fun and I absolutely loved it.

“So if the opportunity came up again, I’d love to do something.”

Today, she’s in Clydebank, where the Winning Scotland Foundation are hosting an event entitled Be Your Personal Best.

A selection of top athletes will meet 150 pupils, aged 11 to 16, from around Scotland to talk about their experiences in an effort to inspire them.

Gemma said: “It’s a fantastic project and it gives you the opportunity to pass on the lessons you’ve learned in life.

“If I was a coach I wouldn’t want a young player to go through what I did, but that situation also taught me skills and gave me experiences that made me the player I am today.